From the Left

The left is criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies and Trump’s threats to cut aid to Central Americans countries.

From the Right

The right believes the caravan must be stopped and immigration law must be enforced strictly.

This is “yet another demonstration of how even harsh attempts to deter migrants from making the journey to the U.S.-Mexico border, including separating parents and children, often fail." According to the Center for American Progress, “if the choice is sudden death or imminent certain death in your country, or going somewhere else with the possibility you might be detained or separated, you take the lesser of the two evils."

The Atlantic

“Trump doesn’t appear to understand that the US can’t simply shut down the US-Mexico border; that people coming to the US without papers can’t simply be repelled or deported (because they might have valid grounds to claim asylum)... Trump characterizes the problem with Central America as gang violence, but uses that as a reason for the US not to accept Central American migrants, rather than a reason to extend asylum to them.”

Vox

“30% of Hondurans currently live in poverty, and violent crime and gang violence are rampant. Withdrawing US dollars that are being used to promote economic development and the rule of law could shatter any hopes of sustainably bringing Hondurans out of poverty or mitigating violence. This could motivate more Hondurans to make the dangerous journey north in search of a safer, more secure environment."

CNN

Moreover, “cutting off aid could push Central American countries into the arms of countries like China that don’t include respect for human rights in many of their economic investment and development programs... [This] would both be of severe detriment to the people of Central American and would be damaging to the U.S. from a geopolitical perspective."

From the Right

The right believes the caravan must be stopped and immigration law must be enforced strictly.

According to Steve Cortes, president of the Trump Hispanic Advisory Council, “Americans are compassionate people, and we empathize with all those who suffer and respect the desire of millions to become Americans. Tolerating illegality is not real compassion, not for our own American citizens and not for illegal immigrants who are often abused by the inherent criminality of porous borders."